Benchmade 940 Osborne: EDC Beauty

I am a Spyderco enthusiast.  But my first quality knife was a Benchmade Mini Griptilian.  I still own Benchmade knives but Spyderco has supplanted their dominance in my collection.

That said the Benchmade 940 Osborne is a beautiful and 100% capable EDC blade.

Looks-  The 940 is a classic looking blade.  It is slim and it is beautifully proportioned.  The green scales and purple titanium back spacer looks great.  If you buy this knife I think the satin finished blade is the way to go.  In my opinion it looks the best with the green and purple.  The green aluminum handles will wear, get chips in them and look AWESOME!  I like character in a knife and as you use this knife over time it will only look more cool.  

Ergonomics- The handle is thin and fits very well in hand.  There is almost no traction from jimping or the scales but I consider this to be more of a gentlemen EDC blade and that is fine, in this intended purpose.  The pocket clip is the same great Benchmade design that is on so many of their knives.  When you put this knife in your pocket it stays there.  The reverse tanto blade is incredibly functional especially for EDC tasks.

While the blade is functional I do prefer a little more belly in my knives.  One reason why I like the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 so much is the almost constant belly.  But the tip is far stronger than many other blades this size. I prefer the Spydie Hole opening method, but the Benchmade thumb studs are some of the best I have seen. 

Durability-S30V steel is a great knife steel, it retains a good edge, has good rust resistance.  At least I have never had a problem with rust on any of my S30V blades.  It is a bit harder to sharpen and get it back to where it was before you used it. 

Value- This knife is a little more expensive.  That is the name of the game.  It is a US produced knife made out of quality materials.  Aluminum, titanium, and S30V.  None of these are super cheap.  Well the aluminum might be but the S30V is an expensive, premium steel.  You are getting a quality blade for what I think is a fair price although it is higher than other knives in this size.

Rating-For daily and Gentleman's EDC I give this knife a 9/10

Inital Impressions of the Tom Bihn Aeronaut

My Tom Bihn Aeronaut arrived today, and I am very impressed.  The Navy blue with Wasabi interior looks really nice.

I never thought that I would be so impressed with a zipper but these are very nice and they are just about as water proof as a zipper can get.

The nylon that Tom Bihn uses is thick, tough and it feels like it will stand up to a lifetime of travel use.  The guys in the shipping department even drew a South African flag on the box.  That was a nice touch. 

I also bought a medium sized travel stuff sack.  It seems very nice and it will be nice to try as well.

 

I am really looking forward to taking this on a trip, it makes me a little sad that the next time that I will be flying is in December.  

The Best EDC Knife that exists is the...

Spyderco Delica 4

I have carried my Spyderco Delica 4 on two continents.  I had it in the United States,and Africa.  I carried it all over South Africa and Lesotho.  It has been my go-to knife since 2008. 

Ergonomics- I would say that I have medium sized hands and the way that the handle of the Delica curves fits my hand perfectly.  The scales are made of FRN or fiber reinforced nylon and they have what Spyderco call, bidirectional texturing.  Through my experiences I have found that this texturing is fantastic, even when your hands are wet from water or sweat.  They are also durable.  Five years of use does show a little bit but the functionality of the scales is exactly the same. 

If there is one thing that I can trust Spyderco it is proper jimping on their knives.  The thumb ramp and jimping is sharp and well executed.  Your thumb will not slide forward on the Delica. 



The Delica has the standard Spyderco pocket clip which I like a lot.  It is not deep carry but I have never had to worry about my knife falling out of my pocket.  The clip holds the knife very securely. 

I love the Spyderco thumb hole opening.  I do have a few knives with thumb studs but those knives always take second place to my Spydie hole knives.  One reason why I like the Spydie hole so much is because of an incident that happened while I was in Africa.  I was at a house late at night on the edge of a town.  Going to this area always made me nervous and this night was no exception.  I always carried my Spyderco Delica in my right hand pocket and at night my Surefire L1 was in my left hand.  Both were ready for use.  As a friend and I knocked on the door of the house we were supposed to visit, we heard dogs barking across a field.  These were feral dogs.  It is interesting how your mind works when the fight or flight response hits.  My mind tends to slow things way down and then I think through what I want to do.  It feels like it takes a long time, but in all actuality it probably only takes a fraction of a second.  The first words out of my mouth were, "Oh Shit!."  I don't remember taking my Delica out but grasped it firmly and without thinking the blade was opened because of the Spydie hole.  Under all that stress I didn't even have to think about getting the blade open.  Luckily I did not need the knife because the second I lit up the dogs with my flashlight they turned and ran. 

Durability-VG-10 steel is one of my favorites.  It holds a very sharp edge for a good amount of time and then it resharpens back relatively easily.  I have also found it to be very rust resistant.  My Delica is the model with the Saber Grind.  I have no problems with it but if I would buy a Delica today I would probably buy one with the Full Flat Grind.  I just prefer that more now. 

Value-   I don't remember what I paid for my Delica back in 2008.   But BladeHQ sells the Delica for $65.57 and Cutleryshoppe.com sells the Delica 4 with a full flat ground bade for $58.80 I probably will buy another Delica soon.  I want to carry the one that I carried in Africa less, I really don't want to lose it.  I am considering buying the Spyderco Salt 1 to replace it. 

Rating-I give the Delica a 10/10 as an EDC blade.  In my experience it will do anything that you can ask of a knife (within reason) It is a folding blade and cannot be torqued or cranked on like a fixed blade. 




I also carried a Tasmin Salt in Africa.  Here it is.

The Tom Bihn Aeronaut is on its way!

I recently got really interested in different kinds of bags and backpacks and ultralight traveling.  I mentioned this recently in another post. 

I am tired of taking a checked bag when I fly so I decided to pony up the dough and buy the Tom Bihn Aeronaut.  It is expensive.  But after reading reviews and watching videos of how people pack it and travel with it, I decided that I would spend the money and invest in a new bag.  I am really looking forward to using and reviewing this bag.

Stay Tuned for pictures when it gets here next week!

Update Tuesday September 24th

The Aeronaut is on the big brown truck of happiness right now.  It should be here this afternoon.  

Spyderco Endura 4 (FFG) First Post

I bought the Spyderco Endura 4 with the FFG blade.

  

I haven't done a whole lot with it yet, but a review is coming.  

Backpacks, The Real Shoebox of Daily Life

Lately I have been on a back pack kick.  I really like bags for carrying around my EDC items. 

Like I have mentioned before I lived in South Africa for two years and since then I have become very interested in packing light and then traveling.  I really like this blog, it got me really into the whole idea of traveling light.  Travel With Less

Right now the bag that I really want is the Tom Bihn Synapse 25.  I hope that I can buy one really soon.  If/when I buy this bag I will review it here.